The invention relates to an electronic scale having an integrated computer, which includes:                an input unit to enter selection data,        a memory to store a plurality of parameter values that can be assigned to function-specific parameters dependent on the entered selection data,        a data processing unit to execute weighing applications dependent on a subset of function-specific parameters, and        at least one interface to interact with mechanical and/or electronic components dependent on a subset of the function-specific parameters.A plurality of different profiles can be stored as individual parameter value sets to adapt to user-specific and/or application-specific requirements, such that selecting a specific profile causes the values contained in the profile to be jointly assigned to the corresponding parameters.        
Scales of this type are known from German Utility Model 91 07 757 U1.
Electronic scales have an integrated computer that performs various tasks involved in operating the scale. On the one hand it executes the calculations necessary to determine a weighing result. This can, for example, include applying predefined rules to recorded measured values and/or compensation calculations that may be necessary to take account of environmental influences, such as the temperature. Another task of the integrated computer is to define a flowchart depending on the desired application. Modern scales are capable of executing various applications, such as differential weighing, counting, weighing of animals, etc. This often requires a plurality of measured values to be recorded and stored in a predefined sequence and processed according to specific rules. The integrated computer defines such a sequence after an operator has specified the task to be performed. Finally, another task of the integrated computer is to adapt the scale's mechanical and/or electronic components to specific conditions in interaction with hardware components. This involves, for example, ergonomic settings, such as the opening direction of a windscreen, or the interface with external hardware, such as printers, chip card readers, barcode readers or transponder readers, keyboards or the like. The specific way in which the computer is to act depends, among other things, on the applications to be executed, the preferences of the respective users, the conditions at the installation site and the configuration of the scale's peripherals. These dependencies can be defined by means of a plurality of parameters, which must be assigned concrete parameter values in the specific case.
To facilitate this assignment of concrete parameter values it is known to create and store different profiles for different applications and/or users. A profile in this case is a parameter value set or a list of concrete parameter values, which can be activated jointly by accessing a specific profile identifier. This means that all the parameter values stored in the profile are assigned to the corresponding parameters. Each stored profile includes a value for each settable parameter. A correspondingly large amount of memory is required to store a plurality of profiles. This problem is exacerbated if not just one profile is stored for each user of a scale, but each user stores a separate profile for each application the user executes on the scale. This is necessary, however, if the scale is to be convenient to use.
In addition to the problem of the large memory requirement there is the problem of the time-consuming and error-prone creation of these very large profiles. It is known to copy a profile, modify it appropriately and store it under a new identifier. With this method, however, it is easy to transfer and multiply errors in subsequent copies of the profile. With regard to creating the profiles, similar devices are known from German Laid Open Publications DE 100 39 668 A1 and DE 100 40 744 A1. However, these publications fail to address the above-described problems and provide no teaching or suggestion for solving them.